If You Believe People Are Going to Hell, Why Do You Spend Time on Anything Else?

If you honestly believe that some people are going to hell when they die, why would you preach or work on any other subject? What on earth could be as important as spending an eternity in physical torment and away from the presence of God?

I don’t believe anyone is going to hell when they die. I believe that the Bible is the infallible, inerrant word of God and that it teaches that everyone is going to heaven. Therefore, I don’t agree with those preachers (and there aren’t very many of them these days) who preach nothing but warnings for people to repent lest they go to hell. (I agree with them, by the way, that we should all repent, but I don’t believe that eternity in hell is the penalty for not repenting.) Nevertheless, I respect these preachers much more than those who preach about “Five ways to get a better job,” or “Three steps to self-esteem,” or “Tithing will help your finances,” while holding to a statement of faith that says some people are going to hell. The former group of preachers is acting consistent with their belief; the latter is not.

I say again: if you really believe that people are going to hell, shame on you if you work on anything other than warning people about that outcome 365 days a year. But if you don’t constantly warn people about that outcome, you have no moral right to say you hold the belief.